Colorado Department of Transportation

2017 Pavement Design Manual

INTRODUCTION
Purpose of Manual
The purpose of this Pavement Design Manual is to provide the Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT) and consultant pavement designers with a uniform and detailed procedure
for designing pavements on CDOT projects. This manuals should be used after July 1, 2017.

Organization of the Manual

The manual is organized in a manner that affords the users with simple and methodical steps in
the design of pavements for the Colorado state highway system. The contents are arranged
carefully to provide users with sufficient flexibility in selecting and focusing on the appropriate
topics and chapters that will suit their specific pavement design needs. There are four major
pavement design categories presented in this manual; new construction/reconstruction,
rehabilitation with overlays, rehabilitation without overlays, and intersection designs. Each
category contains CDOTs current procedures utilized in the design of flexible and rigid
pavements. Also included are relevant and required input data including pavement design
information, subgrade and base materials, pavement type selection, life cycle cost analysis,
pavement justification report (PJR), and appendices. These chapters are provided to support and
document the entire pavement design process. The Introduction Pavement Design Manual
Organization Flow Chart depicts a general overview of how this manual is organized.

Importance of Pavement Design

CDOT spends more than 30 percent of its annual construction and maintenance budget on
pavements. Therefore, pavements need to be properly designed using an analytical process with
accurate design inputs. A pavement design needs to be performed during the early phase of project
development. This step ensures that pavement design is used to estimate and establish the project
cost rather than the project cost dictating the pavement design.

Training
This manual provides general and detailed information about pavement design processes and
procedures applicable to various locations in the State of Colorado. Information on more
comprehensive training courses entitled Pavement Design and Life Cycle Cost Analysis and other
materials related training classes is available through the CDOT Materials and Geotechnical
Branch, Pavement Management and Design Program.

Approved Pavement Design Methods

The AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical (M-E) design procedure using AASHTOWare Pavement
M-E Design software (formerly DARWin-METM) is the recommended method to determine
pavement design thickness. The CDOT strongly recommends using the AASHTO Interim
Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) Manual of Practice along with the latest
CDOT Pavement Design Manual.

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2017 Pavement Design Manual

Coordinating Designs with Other Agencies

Other agencies should contact either the Region Materials Engineer (RME) or the Pavement
Design Program Manager (PDMP) concerning CDOT and Region policies relating to pavement
issues.

Data Collection
The data collected for new construction and rehabilitation projects are somewhat different. The
pavement rehabilitation project will take the largest data collection effort. In many instances, it
may be necessary to design for both pavement reconstruction and pavement rehabilitation. The
final selection between the two will involve a study of costs, traffic handling, and other related
items.

Pavement Justification Report (PJR) and Other Documentation

A PJR is a formal engineering document that presents all analysis, data, and other considerations
used to design a pavement. Guidelines for the information that needs to be included in a pavement
design report are contained in this manual. For the special cases identified below that do not
require a pavement design report, the documentation should include a brief description of the
criteria, engineering considerations, and or Region policy used in the decision process. For other
reporting requirements, contact the RME for guidance. The PJR shall be sent to the CDOT Region
Materials Engineer. A copy of the PJR on all surface treatment projects and all new or
reconstruction projects with Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA or Portland Cement Concrete Pavement
(PCCP) material costs greater than $2,000,000 will be sent to the PDPM. Access and local agency
project PJRs will not be required to be submitted to the PDPM.

Projects Needing a Pavement Justification Report

HMA overlays less than 2 inches are considered a preventive maintenance treatment, and therefore
a PJR may not be required. Nevertheless, considering the significant investment thin overlays
represent, these treatments should be considered in an overall pavement preservation program. For
design categories not covered above, contact the RME or the PDPM for guidance about
recommended design procedures and documentation requirements.

Responsibility, Approval, and Signature Authority

Pavement design and documentation is primarily the responsibility of the engineer of record and
must be reviewed and approved by the RME. In the event that the RME position is vacant, the
pavement designs shall be forwarded to the CDOT Materials and Geotechnical Branch Manager.
For the pavement design work prepared by a consultant, the PJR shall be stamped, signed, and
dated by the consultant and shall include his/her Professional Engineers License number. The
development of pavement design in CDOT is done in English units, which is the standard.

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SUMMARY OF MANUAL REVISIONS

SECTION MAJOR REVISIONS
Introduction
Acronyms and Definitions
Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
Appendix F
Appendix G
Appendix H
Supplement

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2017 Pavement Design Manual

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Materials and Geotechnical Branch of the Colorado Department of Transportation thanks the
following individuals who contributed their expertise, knowledge, and time in reviewing the
CDOT Pavement Design Manual.

PAVEMENT DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS

Headquarters Jay Goldbaum
Bill Schiebel Pavement Design Program Manager
Materials and Geotechnical Branch Manager 4670 Holly Street, Unit A
4670 Holly Street, Unit A Denver, CO 80216
Denver, CO 80216 (303) 398-6561
(303) 398-6501 Jay.Goldbaum@state.us.co
Bill.Schiebel@state.co.us
Melody Perkins
Michael Stanford Pavement Design Engineer
Asphalt Program Manager 4670 Holly Street, Unit A
4670 Holly Street, Unit A Denver, CO 80216
Denver, CO 80216 (303) 757-9975
(303) 398-6576 Melody.Perkins@state.us.co
Michael.Stanford@state.co.us
Special Assistance
Eric Prieve Donna Harmelink
Concrete and Physical Properties FHWA Pavements/Operations Engineer
Program Manager 12300 West Dakota Ave., Suite 180
4670 Holly Street, Unit A Lakewood CO 80228
Denver, CO 80216 (720) 963-3021
(303) 398-6542 Donna.Harmelink@dot.gov
Eric.Prieve@state.co.us
Region 1
Ty Ortiz James Chang
Geohazards Program Manager Region Materials Engineer
4670 Holly Street, Unit A 4670 Holly Street, Unit B
Denver, CO 80216 Denver, CO 80216
(303) 398-6601 (303) 398-6801
Ty.Ortiz@state.co.us James.Chang@state.us.co

David Thomas Vacant

Soils and Geotechnical Program Manager Region Materials Engineer
4670 Holly Street, Unit A 4670 Holly Street, Unit C
Denver, CO 80216 Denver, CO 80216
(303) 398-6604 (303) 398-6701
David.Thomas@state.co.us

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Shamshad Hussain Region 3

Assistant Region Materials Engineer Jeremy Lucero
4670 Holly Street, Unit B Region Materials Engineer
Denver, CO 80216 2328 G Road
(303) 398-6802 Grand Junction, CO 81505
Shamshad.Hussain@state.co.us (970) 683-7562
Jeremy.Lucero@state.co.us
Kevin Moore
Assistant Region Materials Engineer Coulter Golden
4670 Holly Street, Unit B Assistant Region Materials Engineer
Denver, CO 80216 2328 G Road
(303) 398-6803 Grand Junction, CO 81505
Kevin.Moore@state.co.us (970) 683-7561
Coulter.Golden@state.co.us
Bob Mero
Assistant Region Materials Engineer Babaft Moore
4670 Holly Street, Unit C Pavement Manager
Denver, CO 80216 2328 G Road
(303) 398-6703 Grand Junction, CO 81505
Bob.Mero@state.co.us (970) 683-7561
Babaft.Moore@state.co.us
Laura Conroy
Assistant Region Materials Engineer Region 4
4670 Holly Street, Unit C Gary DeWitt
Denver, CO 80216 Region Materials Engineer
(303) 398-6801 3971 W. Service Road
Laura.Conroy@state.co.us Evans, CO 80602
(970) 350-2379
Region 2 Gary.Dewitt@state.co.us
Craig Wieden
Region Materials Engineer Rick Chapman
905 Erie Ave. Assistant Region Materials Engineer
Pueblo, CO 81001 3971 W. Service Road
(719) 562-5532 Evans, CO 80602
Craig.Wieden@state.co.us (970) 350-2380
Rick.Chapman@state.co.us
Jody Pieper
Assistant Region Materials Engineer Region 5
905 Erie Ave. Tim Webb
Pueblo, CO 81001 Region Materials Engineer
(719) 562-5532 3803 N. Main Ave., Suite 200
Jody.Pieper@state.co.us Durango, CO 81301
(970) 385-1625
Tim.Web@state.co.us